Bush. War. Recession. What a shitty fucking decade. When I saw those planes on the news, flying in New York. I vomitted. I was sick. Then I was reminded the dark side of humanity for the next 8 years with the word “terrorism” beaten into me. 8 years of shit, then we spent the next two digging ourselves out. In that digging process, we seemed to have unearthed a few gems belonging to the 80’s. Design of the decade should be representative of what this means. It’s not about commercialism. It’s not about sales. It’s about designs that are a representative of what 2000 to 2010 meant. All the tears, the hope, and the laughter. Below are my alternate proposal of categories for IDSA’s “design of the decade” competition. Examples are in parentheses.

PROPOSAL FOR A NEW SET OF DESIGN OF THE DECADE CATEGORIES
[1] Obsolescence: New designs that replaced or will replace an old paradigm (Kindle)
[2] Cultural Emergence: Underground design that emerged to the surface to pop-status (Hipsters)
[3] Not for Nerds: Design that introduced technology to the masses (Wii)
[4] Industry-Beacon: Designs that created an entirely new industry (iPhone)
[5] Hopeness: Designs that was the light at the end of the tunnel (Prius)
[6] Came and Went: Design that was successful but was born and died this decade (Palm Pilot?)
[7] Destructive Force: Design used for evil, the most harmful designs (IEDs)
[8] Undesigned: WTF!? (Snuggies)
[9] Failures: Designs that was loved by none, hated by all. (Pontiac Aztec)
[10] Hype: Design that created an intense excitement, then a bubble-bursting sensation (Segway)
Bonus
[11] Most Personal: Designed object released this year, that you purchased, that you’ll probably keep for the rest of your life (Adidas 1 shoes designed by John Whiteman!)
[12] Most Influential: Design that was in every “imageboard” slide of your presentation at work or school (Front Design’s furniture)

Leave your comments with your nominations! or better yet, add your own categories!